Tibetan medicine is a traditional system of medicine which has
been practiced for over 2500 years and is still practiced today
although Tibetans are now in exile.

The headquarters of the Tibetan Medical and Astrological Institute
are now based in Dharamsala, North India. It is here that ail
the Tibetan doctors now receive all their training, and it is
also where the medicines are manufactured. The period of training
before one qualifies as a Tibetan doctor is for a minimum of
seven years. For the student to understand the medical texts
a knowledge of Tibetan linguistics, grammar and poetry is required.
The first four years of training are taken up with studying
the four main medical tantras, or rGyud-bzhi; they are the root
tantra, the exegetical tantra, the oral tradition tantra containing
methods and instructions, and finally the subsequent tantra.
In the fifth year students take exams both oral and written
on these four tantras. For the sixth and seventh years students
are sent for practical training under a senior and experienced
doctor at one of the branches of the Tibetan Medical and Astrological
institute. At present there are now over 30 branches in India
and Nepal, and in addition to this there are a number of private
clinics. Tibetan medicine still survives in Tibet where the
Chinese have destroyed so much of the Tibetan tradition and
culture.
It has survived because it is of great practical help for them.

Tibetan medicine is one of the five major sciences, and it is
called gSoba Rig-pa, the science of healing. It uses different
kinds of ingredients such as herbs, trees, rocks, resins, soils,
precious metals, saps etc. However, 95% of Tibetan medicine
is based on herbs, and precious metals are used for the seven
kinds of precious pill known as Rinchen rilpo. If the physician
is able to make the right diagnosis and administer the right
medicine, then Tibetan medicine is good for all kinds of illness.
However, it has been particularly successful in its treatment
of chronic diseases such as rheumatism, arthritis, ulcers, chronic
digestive problems, asthma, hepatitis, eczema, liver problems,
sinus problems, anxiety and problems connected with the nervous
system.

The basic theory of Tibetan medicine is to keep in balance the
Nyipa sum - they are rLung (pronounced loong), mKhris-pa and
Bad-kan. The long-term causative factors of Nyipa sum are the
three poisons of desire, hatred and delusion which show how
closely connected Tibetan medicine is with Buddhist philosophy.

So this introduction will now be divided into
four parts. Firstly I will give a brief description of the Nyipa
sum - their type, location and function within the human body.
Secondly I will describe what happens when the Nyipa sum are
imbalanced. Thirdly I will talk about the diagnosis of these
Nyipa sum when they are imbalanced. Finally after diagnosis,
I will talk about their treatment.

Thailand, India, China, Malayasia, Singapore,
Australia, Dubai, Jordan and South Africa are other countries
which offer traditional systems of healing to interested foreigners.
Most also offer mainstream medical treatment and facilities
at a fraction of the prices charged in North America.

No wonder then that the demand for offshore treatments is on
the increase. Health and Medical Tourism is escalating as it
makes sound economic sense.

" Hello Jay. I have watched every day
for your next part of Road-Map to the Fountain of Youth. I have found
it very interesting and informative. Thank you so much. My husband, John
and I have already put this information into motion. "